


Undesirable

by dracolucivs



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drarry, M/M, Post-War, hypersexual!draco, sad wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-09-15 14:18:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9238697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracolucivs/pseuds/dracolucivs
Summary: After the war, Draco Malfoy thinks that the only way he can be respected and appreciated is through sex. He has no hope for real love. Harry Potter thinks that the only reason he will ever be loved is because of his name and reputation. He has lost hope for true, genuine love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by this this post (http://diydrarry.tumblr.com/post/155256650670/foolforfelton-ok-but-give-me-a-draco-malfoy-who).
> 
> This is the first long fic that I've written, so feedback is greatly appreciated!

Draco Malfoy was not the same person that he was before the war.

He was a member of what used to be one of the most prestigious families in the Wizarding World. He was well-respected and loved by many. He had a surplus of friends and many other people wishing that they could just claim they have spoken to him before. 

But all of this changed the moment he was forced onto the wrong side of the war. Sure, at first it seemed glorious to be, what he thought, the right hand to one of the most powerful wizards to ever exist, but his idealistic attitude quickly vanished when he discovered what everything would consist of.

Now, a year after the war, Draco Malfoy was sad and damaged. He longed for the life he previously lived, for people that cared about him and wanted to be around him. Nobody wanted to be his friend. Nobody wanted to be involved with him romantically. Nobody even wanted to be caught just  _talking_  to him. He couldn’t blame them, though, just look at the mess of the Wizarding World that he had contributed to. The deaths. The sadness. The destruction. Why would anyone want to be around someone who caused that? The only way he could get someone to look at him with even a hint of interest, or anything other than disgust and loathing, to get the smallest bit of respect, was with his body.

He knew that he was attractive. That was the one thing about him that remained unchanged after the war, and nobody could deny that.

* * *

Draco sighed as he began getting ready for his date…if he could really call it that. He had about four or five “dates” a week, and they mainly consisted of meeting up at a bar, maybe having a drink together if they could endure being in public with him and talking that long, and then heading to one of their flats to hook up, and that was it. No cuddling, no talking, no dinner, nothing. Just sex. That’s all anyone wanted from him. He was notoriously known for being very good in bed. 

Draco couldn’t even deny that he enjoyed the sex. Really, he did. But sometimes he just craved…something more. He never said no to a date, though, because despite the fact that he knew that he would never be shown true love and adoration, the fake affection that he got while in bed with his partner was enough to give him a glimmer of hope for that person to see something in him that no one else could, to see beyond his name and his past. They never did, though. Deep down he knew that they wouldn’t, but that hope was somehow able to keep him going each day.

Draco finished his shower and quickly did his hair. He got dressed into something that was casual but still looked nice. Not like it mattered. All his date would care about is ripping the clothes off of him. He checked to make sure he didn’t forget anything, and with one last sigh and glance in the mirror, he headed out the door.


	2. Chapter Two

Not much about Harry had changed after the war. **  
**

He was still the hero, the savior. He was still always looked at to take charge and solve everyone’s problems. He still felt like he wasn’t good enough, like he could always do something more, be something more. He still felt obligated to drop everything to help someone else, yet never thought to maybe take a break for a while to help himself. He was still damaged.

Harry was beginning to grow tired and having to live up to everyone’s expectations, though. He was sick of only ever being looked at as the Savior of the Wizarding World, The Chosen One, or any other titles people came up with for him. No one ever saw passed that. No one ever wanted to see who he really was. No one wanted to get to know Harry, just Harry.

He found it funny, actually. When he was young, he wanted to be anyone but Harry. He didn’t want to be the ordinary boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs. He wanted to be something  _more_ , something special. But now, well the tables really have turned. He would give anything to go back and just be a normal wizard, rather than the one who had the responsibility of saving the world placed upon his shoulders at the measly age of eleven. He never truly got to enjoy his child, or his life, for that matter, and he still has yet to be able to do so. 

All Harry wanted was to settle down with someone who loved him, truly loved him, and to be happy. He knew that wasn’t likely, though. He knew people only ever wanted to be with because of who he was, his reputation, his fame. He used to go out on dates, tried to find that person who really just enjoyed him, but he gave up when he realized he was searching in vain. No one cared about who he really was. Many of them just wanted to get in bed with him, to brag about the fact that they shagged the Savior of the Wizarding World, but Harry wouldn’t stand for that. He wouldn’t allow himself to be disrespected like that. So he just kind of stopped dating altogether.

He tried not to be bitter about it. Really, he did. But it was just so  _hard_  sometimes. It was so hard to watch people living their lives, being happy, not being forced to conform to how society wanted to mold them. It just wasn’t  _fair_. After everything he had done, didn’t he deserve that? Just the smallest sliver of joy and contentment? Didn’t he deserve a break? Didn’t he deserve to have someone who loved him for  _him_? Didn’t he deserve to be left alone for once in his life, to be able to go out and not be hounded by the press or have desperate men and women throwing themselves at him?

Harry thought he deserved that. To just taste a bit of real happiness. But he was still waiting. Waiting for when someone would come along and show him that it was okay to feel this way, to want to be happy, and to give him that happiness. 

He had tried. Tried to make himself happy. But he just couldn’t. It was so hard, especially when he was just alone with his thoughts. But the idea of having someone who accepted his demons and still loved him gave him hope for happiness. It may not be close, but he hoped that one day he could find that person who would bring out the best in him, the  _Harry_  in him, rather than the Savior.


	3. Chapter Three

Draco met his date at the Leaky Cauldron. He normally liked to go to small bars so there would be less people there to whisper insulting things about him, but his date insisted, so Draco just went along with it. **  
**

His date was a very tall and muscular bloke with short brown hair whose name was Thomas. Draco thought he was very handsome, but there was something about him that seemed unfriendly. He would soon find out that his instincts were right.

As soon as Draco walked into the bar, Thomas scowled at him. Draco sighed quietly to himself and made his way over to him.

“Hello,” Draco said kindly.

“This date isn’t for talking. You know what I want.”

“Right…”

They had a quick pint, and without any more conversation, they left to go to Thomas’s flat.

“This is a really nice place!” Draco commented when he walked in.

Thomas rolled his eyes.

“Yeah. Keep your filthy, death eater hands off of my stuff.”

Draco stopped walking and put his hands on his hips.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Thomas growled, taking a menacing step toward Draco.

“You want my filthy death eater body, though,” Draco said with a raised eyebrow.

They stared at each other with narrowed eyes.

“You know what, I think this will give me more pleasure than using your body would.”

Draco was about to ask what he was talking about, but before he could, Thomas raised a fist and swung at Draco’s face, hitting him hard in the cheek.

Draco let out a cry and immediately raised his hand to where he had been hit.

“What the f-”

The other man hit him again, this time in the eye, cutting him off.

“I don’t know what I thought was so appealing about you, anyway. Voldemort probably used you as his little bitch, and there’s no way I want to fuck anything he touched. Get out.”

Draco didn’t need to be told twice. He left with tears streaming down his face. He could feel his left eye swelling up, and he knew he would have terrible bruising there and on his cheek. Nothing like this had ever happened before. People never passed up an opportunity to get into bed with Draco. Some had threatened to do stuff to him in bed, to “punish” him for what he had done, but they never did it. This was…unbelievable to Draco. He had never been more disgusted. But the thing was, he wasn’t disgusted with Thomas. He was disgusted with himself. This made him realize how awful he truly must be.

Draco walked through the cold, London streets. He didn’t want to go home and just sit by himself. He didn’t think he could handle the thoughts that would consume him. But he didn’t know where else to go. No one else wanted him around. It’s not like he could just go and enjoy the company of some strangers at a bar. He was totally and completely unwanted. Unloved.

He wasn’t paying attention as he walked. He was lost in his thoughts, and he accidentally bumped into someone.

Draco looked up at them with wide, terrified eyes. He really couldn’t handle anymore tonight. He couldn’t deal with being treated so poorly anymore.

“I-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention and I…well, I bumped into you,” Draco apologized. He was still crying, but hoped whoever he bumped into wouldn’t be able to see because of how dark it was.

Draco was surprised when the person answered with a warm chuckle and a kind voice.

“It’s okay. It was just as much my fault as yours…wait, Draco?”

Draco internally cursed, he was hoping he wouldn’t be recognized. He looked at the person through his one good eye, and quickly realized it was Potter.

“Um…yeah,” he said awkwardly.

“What happened to you?”

“It’s nothing, Potter,” Draco muttered and tried to walk around him and continue on his way home.

Of course, stubborn Potter couldn’t allow that.

“Nothing? Don’t be ridiculous. Your eye is swollen and your cheek is horribly bruised. And you’re crying.”

“Potter…”

“Draco, what happened to you? Who did this? Tell me right now.”

Harry reached out and softly rubbed his fingers across Draco’s cheek. Draco sucked in a breath and jumped away from the contact.

“I said it’s nothing. Just…don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about me, alright? I’m not worth your time.”

This time, Harry let Draco walk past him. He stared after him in shock.

 _What happened to him? Not just his face, but…that’s not the Draco from Hogwarts_.

Harry was now determined to figure out what was going on with Draco Malfoy because despite what he said, Draco was definitely worth his time and worth worrying about. He always had been.


	4. Chapter Four

Draco arrived back at his flat about ten minutes after his encounter with Harry. 

And of course it was bloody Potter, of all the people he could have run into. Although, he supposed maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Anyone else probably would have laughed at him, maybe added to the damage.

Draco walked into his bathroom to inspect his face. He was still crying. He couldn’t stop. He felt like he might never be able to. He looked into the mirror and let out a whimper at the sight before him. He hardly even recognized himself. Both his eye and cheek were dark purple, and his eye was already swollen shut.

He stripped off his clothes and got into the shower. He was so disgusted with himself and who he was, he just wanted to scrub the Malfoy off. He wanted to scrub off the skin he was in, become a knew person, a loved person.

He turned the water to the hottest setting. It scalded his skin, but he didn’t mind. He wanted something that would make him  _feel_  because all he felt was numb.

Draco was still choking on his sobs when he finished his shower, thinking thoughts that made him feel even worse.

_How did I allow myself to become…this? Potter must have been disgusted to see me. He only acted nice because he’s Saint-bloody-Potter._

Draco didn’t know what he could do for his bruising. There was no spell to fix just a bruise. He shook his head at himself in the mirror before heading to bed, dreading work the next day.

* * *

Harry went home after his run-in with Draco, and couldn’t get the blond out of his head.

_What had happened to him? Who did it? Why didn’t I do anything? I should have brought him here, helped him, cleaned him up, and made him some hot tea to help him feel better._

Harry hadn’t seen much of Draco since school, he had heard some things about him and what he was up to these days, but he found them hard to believe. The hurt he saw on Draco’s face, though, the sadness, but also the emptiness, shocked Harry. He had never expected  _that_  from Draco Malfoy, no matter what rumors he had heard.

Harry knew that Draco didn’t want to speak to him, to be around him, but he had to try to help, no matter how much Draco hated him. Harry found his resentfulness quite refreshing, actually, considering he was used to people constantly fawning over him, throwing themselves at his feet. It was nice to be treated like Harry Potter, who Draco Malfoy had always hated.

Harry went to bed that night with the intention of talking to Draco the next day.

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning, showered, got dressed, and set to finding out where Draco lived. It wasn’t hard. He had many connections, being the Savior and all, so the information was pretty easy to come by.

He thanked the person who had given him Draco’s address, and headed to his flat. He was happy to see it was actually very close to his own.

He found Draco’s door and knocked. After waiting about ten seconds, the door opened.

“What do you want?” Draco spat.

Harry took in his face, which looked even worse than it did the previous night. Draco could see that Potter was staring at his bruised face. It made him feel self-conscious, and he tried to hide slightly behind the door.

Harry noticed this, and immediately felt bad for making Draco feel uncomfortable, so he gave Draco a kind smile.

“I just want to talk, Draco.”

Draco flinched slightly at the use of his first name. Harry had used it last night, too, but he didn’t think much of it, as he had many other things on his mind. But now, he was being called  _Draco_ , without his last name attached at the end, soiling who he is. Draco liked the sound of his name coming out of Harry’s mouth. And he liked the sight of his non-menacing smile. But he would never admit that. And he knew it was dumb, anyway. He knew Harry was just curious about what had happened to him. He didn’t really  _care_. He probably wanted to find out who had done this and go congratulate them.

“Well I don’t, Potter.”

Harry sighed.

“Draco, I want to help you.”

Draco looked at him with wide eyes. He opened and closed his mouth several times, unsure of how to respond to that. The last time he had been told that someone wanted to help him was when he was threatening to kill Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower. But Harry didn’t really want to help, he just had to keep reminding himself of that.

“Don’t call me Draco!” He nearly shrieked. He was unsure of why he decided that that was the proper response, but he didn’t care. He just wanted Potter to leave him alone.

Harry just quirked an eyebrow and grinned at him.

“Why not? That is your name, you know.”

Draco gritted his teeth at Potter’s attempt at teasing.

“Yes,  _Potter_ , I know. I just don’t want you using it. Now leave me alone.”

With that, Draco slammed the door in Harry’s face. He wasn’t surprised. He was expecting this reaction from Draco. If he was honest, he was actually surprised that Draco had stood and talked with him for as long as he did. Harry stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should knock again, but he decided against it. If he didn’t want to talk here, that was fine. Harry had other options. He knew where Draco worked, so he would try there next. He  _would_  get Draco Malfoy to talk to him. Get him to open up to him. To accept Harry’s help. 

Harry didn’t think that there would ever be anyone as unhappy as he was in the wizarding world, but he was pretty sure that he had finally found that person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the positive feedback! I really appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all the nice things you guys are saying!

After he closed the door on Potter, Draco grumbled under his breath all the way to his bathroom, where he had to start getting ready for work. He just couldn’t believe that Potter would have the audacity to show up there. Well, actually, he could believe it, because if there was anyone more stubborn than himself, it was Harry Potter. But he thought that he would at least respect Draco’s wishes of leaving him alone. He didn’t imagine Potter to be the kind to intrude in people’s person business. Apparently, though, he was wrong. Draco had a feeling that this would not be the end of his troubles with sodding Harry Potter.

Draco stared at himself in the mirror, something he normally did which only caused his self-loathing to increase. But this time he was just looking to try to figure out how to cover up his black eye and bruised cheek. After about twenty minutes of spells, he just gave up. He had to get to work, and he realized that there probably wouldn’t be anyone who cared enough about him to ask what had happened anyway.

He left his flat and headed to an old, slightly run down bar in Knockturn Alley, where he was a bartender. He didn’t want to work there. Honestly, it was probably one of the last places he would ever want to work, but they were the only place that would hire him. He was actually kind of surprised he even got hired there because Knockturn Alley isn’t the place it used to be before the war. It was still pretty sketchy, and a lot of strange people hung around there, but it was no longer a place designated for dark witches and wizards. The only reason it wasn’t as nice as Diagon Alley now was because no one wanted to put forth the effort or money to fix it up.

Draco arrived to his job and greeted his boss who he hated with every fiber of his being. His boss treated him like dirt and has yet to show Draco even the smallest amount of respect, even though Draco was the best employee there.

“What happened to you?” His boss asked with his face twisted up half in disgust and half of what Draco thought looked like he wanted to laugh at him.

Draco fought not to roll his eyes.

“Nothing,” he muttered and took up his post behind the bar.

Business was pretty slow, to Draco’s relief. Normally he hated slow days because he felt like he was there forever. But today it was okay because anything was better than sitting alone with his thoughts.

However, when someone finally walked in about an hour into Draco’s shift, he wanted to go hide in the back room. He stared with one wide eye as Thomas, the one who had done this to him, approached the bar with a sickly sweet, almost sadistic smile.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Draco stepped back, wanting to get as far away from him as possible.

“What happened to that pretty face of yours? It doesn’t look so pretty anymore.” The man smirked at Draco, who felt tears form in his eyes.

He willed himself not to cry. He was already embarrassed enough to be seen in the condition he was in. He couldn’t cry. He couldn’t.

_Just wait until you get home. Just wait until you get home. You can cry all you want once you’re there. But just wait._

Draco intended to ignore the comment and just ask Thomas if he wanted anything to drink, but he didn’t even have to do that.

“Are you the one who did that to him?” Someone, who must have walked in when Draco’s attention was on Thomas, asked.

“Yeah, I did. And I did a damn good job, huh?” Thomas said with a proud chuckle and then turned to see who had spoken to him.

Both his and Draco’s mouths dropped open when they saw a furious-looking Harry Potter standing at the door.

“Get out. Now,” Harry forced out between gritted teeth.

“What? You’re supposed to-”

“I said out!” Harry bellowed. 

Draco was taken aback. He had never seen Potter so angry.

Thomas hurried out of the bar.

“Draco, are you okay?”

Draco just stared at him.

“W-What are you doing here?” He asked, slightly embarrassed, and tears still threatening to fall from his eyes.

“I came to talk to you.”

“I told you that I didn’t want to talk.” Draco meant to sound angry, even menacing, but it didn’t come out that way. His voice cracked, and a few tears spilled from his eyes.

He didn’t even know why he was crying now. It wasn’t because of Thomas anymore. He just…he couldn’t believe that someone had just stood up for him. Nobody had ever done that for him, at least not after the war, anyway. They would always just let Draco endure the mistreatment, perhaps even laugh and contribute to it. So this had been unexpected, to say the least. And it simply reminded him of how hated he was by everyone. Except Potter, apparently. But Draco still had his suspicions about Harry. He was sure that he couldn’t simply be helping him with the sole intention of being nice. There had to be something he wanted, some kind of catch. 

“Draco?”

“Potter, please…I-I…”

Harry hurried around to Draco’s side of the bar and enveloped him in a hug. 

“It’s okay,” he comforted.

Draco immediately tensed up when Harry touched him, and tried to push him away, but Harry was stronger.

“Please let me go,” Draco said quietly, almost inaudibly, but Harry heard him and did as Draco had asked.

Draco went to rub the tears from his eyes, but then whimpered in pain when he touched his swollen eye, momentarily forgetting about it.

“Hey, be careful,” Harry murmured and gently grabbed Draco’s hand to pull it away from his face.

“S-Stop touching me, Potter!”

Draco roughly pulled his hand away and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Draco, I’m-”

“Just trying to help. Yeah. I know. But why, Potter? Why are you being so nice to me? What do you want?”

Harry quickly shook his head.

“All I want is for you to stop being so unhappy.”

“I’m fine.”

Harry snorted.

“You are not fine! Anyone with eyes could see that. You’re sad. You’re suffering. Why won’t you let me help you?!”

“You just show up out of the blue, on a particularly inconvenient night, and all of the sudden just want to help me. I haven’t talked to you or even seen you in years, Potter, so excuse me if I don’t so readily accept your help.”

“Okay, okay. I get it. How about we start out slow.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at him.

“We can go get coffee, or tea, whichever you prefer. We can go tomorrow, if you’d like.”

Draco’s heart sped up.

“What, like a…like a date?” He said the word  _date_  with a bitter aftertaste.

Draco finally understood what it was Harry wanted. He was just like all the others. He just wanted sex, but he was going about it a different way than the others. He just wasn’t being so blunt about it.

Harry chuckled at first, but then noticed how much more defensive Draco seemed to get.

“I mean it could be. But I was thinking more just two…friends grabbing some coffee.”

 _Friends_. Draco liked the sound of that, of having a friends, someone who cared about him, but he didn’t know what to do. This all was so weird, and Potter was confusing him. Was he just using Draco to get into his pants, acting kind so Draco would be easy, as if he wasn’t already? Or was he being genuine?

Draco just looked at Harry, unsure of what to say, so Harry continued.

“We don’t have to talk about any of…this,” Harry said and gestured between the two of them, referring to everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. “Like I said, just two friends, having friendly conversation about whatever you want. Please?”

“I…okay.”

He decided that getting coffee with Potter couldn’t result in anything too awful. At least he hoped. If things seemed off, he could just end the date-no, not a date-just end  _it_ , whatever it was, right there.

“Really?” Harry asked, surprised. 

He really hadn’t been expecting Draco to agree so quickly. He thought he would’ve had to show up to his flat and workplace at least a dozen more times. That was just more evidence that Draco was not himself.

Draco simply nodded, a light blush dusting his cheeks, causing Harry to grin.

“Great! How about noon? Is that okay?”

“That’s fine.”

Harry nodded and quickly wrote down the address of his favorite coffee shop on a slip of paper. He handed it to Draco, and their fingers brushed together. Draco felt sparks go through his fingers and up his arm. Harry felt a nice, comforting warmth.

“Bye, Draco! I’ll see tomorrow!” Harry said cheerily before he headed out the door.

“Bye…Harry,” Draco whispered quietly to no one. 

Maybe Harry didn’t mean any harm. Maybe he really did just want to help. But Draco then remembered the few previous people who had tried getting him into bed through kindness, and it always ended just as awfully as all the others. He wasn’t going to open up to Harry. He wasn’t. Nobody needed to know about him, about his life. Despite this though, all Draco could think of was allowing Harry in, allowing Harry to help him, allowing Harry to make him happier. He tried to shake these thoughts from his head but he just couldn’t.

After work, Draco decided that what he needed to get Harry off of his mind was a good shag. He didn’t get the one that he had planned with Thomas, so it was definitely due. He quickly went home after work to change and then headed to the local club, where he could find someone who might make him feel like he’s not completely worthless for a few hours.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked writing this chapter, I hope you all enjoy reading it. :)

Harry couldn’t stop smiling his whole way home from the bar. Draco had agreed to get coffee and talk with him. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had gone out with him just to chat…just as friends. Nobody wanted to just be Harry Potter’s friend. They wanted to claim part of the Potter reputation and the Potter fortune. No one really cared about just Harry.

But Harry was starting to think maybe,  _just maybe_ , Draco was starting to develop a soft spot for him, even though it had only been a day. The thought of that made Harry giddy with excitement, and he really couldn’t explain why.

But with that in mind, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander to how bad he felt for Draco. And that bloody git who did that to Draco’s face,  _how dare he_! Harry wasn’t sure when or why he had suddenly become so defensive of Draco Malfoy, but he was okay with it. Draco deserved to be happy just as much as he did.

The only reason Harry was finally able to free his mind of Draco was because Dean and Seamus had called and asked if he wanted to go out to the club with them that night. Honestly, he really didn’t want to, but he hated being rude, so he agreed and got ready.

The club was already packed full of people by the time they arrived. Harry actually preferred that because that way there were so many people, no one even noticed him. Dean and Seamus wanted to dance, so Harry told them that he would get drinks and save their table while they went off. 

* * *

Draco let out a sigh of relief and moderate contentment when he arrived at his regular club. Here, he was rarely Draco Malfoy, death eater. He was just another lonely face, looking for something to ease his suffering for the night. Of course people recognized him, but few cared. They were all there for the same reason, and many hoped that they would be the one to go home with Draco that night.

Draco immediately went up to bar and ordered a few shots and a drink. All the shots were for him, which was pretty lonely and depressing to think about. But he simply didn’t think about it. Here he didn’t need to think. He swallowed down the shots with ease.

“What happened to you?” The bartender asked, referring to the black eye and cheek that Draco hadn’t bothered to try to hide. It wasn’t in a cruel way, though, like Draco’s boss, just a genuinely curious way.

Draco just shrugged and took his last shot before grabbing his drink.

“It’s complicated,” he said before walking off to the dance floor.

Draco could feel the bass of the music in his body, like it was rattling his bones. He welcomed the sensation and let it take him over. He danced and enjoyed himself as if he didn’t have a worry in the world. He had no idea who he was grinding up against, but he didn’t care.

After a while, though, the person shoved him away, probably realizing who he was, and walked off. Draco sighed, only slightly disheartened, and decided he needed another drink anyway so it was fine.

He walked up to the bar and waited behind brunette who had somewhat familiar messy hair, but in his alcohol-induced state, Draco couldn’t think of why they seemed familiar.

However, when the person turned around, Draco recognized them immediately.

“Potter!” Draco shouted, but not angrily. He even surprised himself when the word came out sounding…somewhat happy and excited.

Harry raised his eyebrows at Draco, clearly surprised by his reaction as well, but then quickly turned his mouth upwards into a smile.

“Hi, Draco,” he greeted. “What are you drinking?”

Draco looked at him, confused for a moment. Was Potter offering to buy him a drink?

“I-I can order it…”

Harry chuckled, and Draco decided that he really liked the way Potter laughed. The way his green eyes got impossibly brighter when they lit up with happiness. The way he threw his head back slightly and how he had a huge grin on his face. Draco was annoyed at his own feelings, and just blamed it on the alcohol in his system.

“I insist. So what will it be.”

Draco blushed, and Harry had this knowing smirk on his face that Draco just wanted to slap off, but could only bring himself to think of how incredibly sexy Harry looked.

“Just vodka and lemonade. Please,” he mumbled quietly.

“Please? Wow, looks like you’ve learned some manners over the years,” Harry teased.

Draco playfully rolled his eyes and had a smile,  _an actual smile_ , on his face.

“Just get my bloody drink, Potter.”

Harry winked and turned around to order Draco’s drink, which only took about a minute to make.

“You know,” Harry said, handing Draco the drink. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you smile.”

Draco cursed himself for the blush that was, once again, rising to his cheeks. He simply ignored Harry’s comment to take a sip of his drink. He licked his lips when he was done, and Harry found the action to be very sexy.

“Do you want to dance, Potter?” Draco asked bluntly.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Jeez, how much have you had to drink, Draco? First you’re smiling at me, and now you want to dance?”

Draco’s eyes widened.

“Y-You don’t have to, I was just-”

Harry laughed, cutting him off, and grabbed Draco’s drink out of his hand to place it on the table.

“Of course I want to dance. I’m at a club, aren’t I?”

Draco nodded and grabbed Harry’s hand to pull him out onto the dancefloor.

Harry stared down at their connected hands and smiled. He liked Draco this way. He was so much more…real.

They ended up somewhere in the middle of everyone else, and Draco immediately turned around and started grinding against Harry’s groin, much to Harry’s surprise. When Draco said dance, Harry didn’t think he meant like this. Not that Harry didn’t like it, it just…didn’t feel right. Especially not when Draco was as drunk as he was.

“Woah. Draco, hey, stop.”

Harry stopped Draco’s motions and turned him around so they were facing one another again. Draco gave him a confused look.

“What? Don’t you want this?” Draco asked, gesturing to his body.

“No, I-”

Draco laughed cynically, cutting Harry off.

“Of course you don’t. How stupid of me to think the bloody Chosen One would want anything to do with the filthy death eater.”

“Draco, that’s not what I-”

“Just save it, Potter. Honestly. I’ve heard it enough times.”

Draco then walked off in the direction of the bar, and Harry quickly followed. 

“I think you’ve had enough to drink,” Harry commented as Draco ordered another round of shots for himself.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t fucking care what you think,” Draco snarled and downed each shot.

Harry felt bad, really really bad. He felt like he had made progress with Draco tonight, even if it was because he had had a bit to drink. But now he had ruined it all. It wasn’t even that he didn’t  _want_  Draco. Anyone in their right mind would want him. He’s gorgeous. He just didn’t want him like this. Drunk. He wanted the attitude of that Draco, but sober. He just wanted the real Draco, and he knew deep down that the way Draco had been acting, funny and playful, that’s who Draco Malfoy really was. Not the cold and standoffish persona he put on.

“Draco, you misunderstood me.”

“No, Potter. I heard you loud and clear. What I still don’t understand, though, is why you’ve been being so nice to me. I thought it was because you wanted to have sex, and honestly, Potter, you don’t have to be nice to me to do that. Haven’t you heard anything about my reputation these days? But anyway, that’s clearly not it because The Savior is too good for me, right? So what is it, then? Please, enlighten me.”

Harry flinched back slightly when Draco spat out “The Savior”. 

“Draco, you wouldn’t be saying all of this if you weren’t drunk.”

“You don’t know anything about me, Potter! So stop acting like you do.”

Harry sighed.

“I already told you, Draco. I’m being nice because I want to be. Because I like you. Because I  _care_  about you. And I’m sorry if your feelings aren’t the same, but that’s not going to change anything. I’m still going to be nice. I’m still going to try to help you. I want to see you happy, Draco, because you deserve it.”

Draco blushed and was at a loss for words, which made Harry crack a small smile.

“Come on,” Harry said and began walking.

“Where?” Draco asked, stumbling after him.

“I’m walking you home, silly. You don’t really think I’d let you apparate or even walk alone with the state you’re in.”

“Oh…okay.”

Draco no longer wanted to fight Harry. It seemed as if all the anger he was feeling just seeped out of his body when Harry had told Draco he cared about him. Draco smiled to himself just thinking about it. Harry Potter cared about  _him_. It felt so surreal.

Harry turned around to see Draco had stopped walking and was standing there with a small smile  on his face.

“Will you tell me what you’re smiling about?” He asked, snapping Draco out of his thoughts.

“Nope,” Draco responded, and grabbed Harry’s hand to practically skip out of the club.

Harry shook his head and laughed.

“You’ve got quite a range of emotions tonight. Normally all I get to experience is angry from you.”

Draco just hummed his response and slowed down walk at a slow pace because, although he wouldn’t admit it, he wanted to make this time with Harry last as long as possible.

“You know, the reason I came here tonight was in hopes of having a good shag with someone,” Draco said conversationally as he took in the scenery around him.

“I see.” 

“I do that a lot. Even though I know that ultimately, whoever I’m with really hates me, it makes me feel less worthless, even a little appreciated and respected, when I’m in bed with them.”

Harry was shocked to hear this. He never believed the rumors he had heard about Draco. He felt his heart break a little more for the blond.

“You don’t need to do that, Draco. You don’t need to use your body to gain temporary respect.”

Draco shook his head and shifted his hand in Harry’s.

“You don’t understand,” he whispered in a broken voice.

Harry really didn’t want to push the subject, especially not right now. He doubted that Draco would even remember this conversation in the morning. He didn’t respond, and the two of them walked in silence the rest of the way to Draco’s flat, and Draco actually allowed Harry to enter this time.

Harry waited as Draco changed into his pajamas, which ended up just being a pair of boxers. He blushed bright red and tried to keep his eyes on Draco’s face when Draco came back out.

_Bloody hell he’s gorgeous, so fucking gorgeous._

Draco grinned sexily at Harry and put his hands on his hips.

“Like what you see, Harry?” Draco slurred, not even realizing that he had called Harry by his first name.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at him.

“You called me Harry,” he pointed out.

Draco was now the one blushing.

“I-I did not…”

“You did,” Harry said with a smirk and took a step towards Draco.

Draco rapidly shook his head and took a step back.

“Yes. Say it again.”

“Never!” Draco shouted and ran to his bedroom.

Harry let out a loud laugh and followed him.

Draco wasn’t hiding, though. He was standing in the middle of the room, yawning.

“Alright. I think that means it’s bedtime.”

Draco just nodded and crawled into his bed without argument.

“I’m sorry for being mean to you at the club, Harry.”

Harry smiled down at him and covered him up with his blankets.

“It’s okay, Draco. I forgive you.”

“Are we still getting coffee tomorrow?”

“Do you still want to?”

“Yeah…I think I would really like that,” Draco mumbled sleepily.

“Then yes, we’re still getting coffee. In fact, I’ll even pick you up. Is noon still okay?”

“Yes, but you don’t have to pick me up…”

“It’s fine. I want to, Draco. Plus, I have to make sure your arse is out of bed by then because I’m sure you’ll have a nice hangover in the morning.”

Draco chuckled and finally let his eyes close.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Of course. Goodnight, Draco,” Harry whispered, even though he knew Draco was already asleep.

Harry quietly left Draco’s flat and headed to his own, looking forward to noon the next day.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Draco groaned when he woke up the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on his door. He stood up and immediately felt an awful headache coming on. Draco threw on a shirt and pants that were just lying on his floor and walked to the door to open it, surprised to see Potter standing there with a grin on his face.

“Potter, what are you-”

“I knew you wouldn’t remember,” Harry chuckled. “Last night you told me you still wanted to get coffee at noon. I said I would pick you up, and here I am.”

“Last night…?” Just as Draco was saying it, the events of the previous night came back to him. 

The shots, dancing with Potter, accusing Potter of thinking he’s better than him, more shots, walking home, opening up to Potter, even if it was only a little bit, standing nearly naked in front of Potter, letting Potter tuck him in.

Draco groaned internally.

_Why did I take so many bloody shots?_

Harry could see that Draco was remembering everything and that he felt really embarrassed.

“If you don’t want to go anymore, it’s fine,” Harry told him, sounding slightly disappointed.

Draco shook his head, not even thinking about what he was about to say.

“No I…I want to. Just give me a second.”

Why he wanted to, Draco wasn’t sure. He just knew that he really felt like he needed to do something like this.

Draco let Harry in, much to Harry’s surprise, and went to put on some clean clothes and quickly did his hair.

“Okay, I’m ready,” he said, coming out of his room a few minutes later.

Harry smiled at him and they left Draco’s flat to walk to the coffee shop. It was a place Draco had never been, and when they arrived, he was surprised to see it was very small. There was only one other person there.

“What do you want?” Harry asked.

“Oh, um…I don’t really drink coffee, so I’m not sure.”

Harry sighed.

“Draco, we could have gone some place different if-”

“No!” Draco cut him off, surprising even himself with his abruptness. “I-I mean…I wanted to come here. I’d like to try some new things…” Draco wondered if Harry realized he was talking about more than just drinking coffee. “I’ll just have whatever you’re having, please.”

Harry just nodded and told Draco he could go find them a table.

“You know, Potter,” Draco began when Harry sat down with their coffee. “I’m surprised someone like you would like a place like this.”

Harry narrowed his eyes at Draco.

“What do you mean _someone like me_?”

Draco shrugged.

“Just that you love being in the spotlight, you know, all the attention, and this place is so small. Not many people here to fawn over you.”

Harry clenched his jaw. Draco noticed that he said something that Harry didn’t like, and quickly tried to correct himself.

“I-I didn’t mean it in a bad way! Just that, everyone loves you. It must be nice.”

Draco sighed and looked down at his hands, which he wrapped around the warm mug of coffee that he had yet to take a drink of.

_We haven’t even been here for ten minutes and I already said something wrong. I mess everything up, what is wrong with me?_

Harry still hadn’t said anything, and Draco was so scared that he now hated him. Although, he wasn’t sure  _why_  that scared him. Potter had hated him for years and it never bothered him before. But now…now there was finally someone who  _didn’t_  hate him. He didn’t want to lose that.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Draco said quietly.

Harry couldn’t stay angry at him even if he wanted to. 

“Are you going to try your coffee, Draco?”

Draco’s head snapped back up to look at Harry, and he found that he was smiling.

“I…yeah…okay,” Draco responded, with a small smile of his own.

He lifted the mug to his lips, and immediately wrinkled his nose up when the coffee touched his tongue, which caused Harry to burst out laughing and think of how fucking cute Draco had just looked.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s so bitter! How can you drink this rubbish?”

Harry rested his chin in his hand and smiled at the blond.

“Well,  _I_  normally add sugar and creamer, but I just wanted to see what you would think of it plain.”

“You git!” Draco shouted, causing the one other person to cast them a glance.

Draco wasn’t really angry, of course. He thought it was a very Slytherin thing of Harry to do, which he admired.

“Here,” Harry said, still laughing, and grabbed Draco’s coffee to add sugar and creamer.

Draco took another sip, and this time he liked the taste.

“Better?”

“Much.”

“Good. So…your eye is looking better,” Harry noted, trying to make conversation.

Draco looked away, once again feeling self-conscious.

“No it’s not,” he mumbled.

It really wasn’t. It was no longer dark purple, but it was now turning the greenish color of bruises that have been there for a few days, which somehow made it look even worse.

“Maybe not. But that color at least means that it’s getting better.”

“I guess so,” Draco sighed.

“Do you want tell me how it happened?”

“How do you think it happened, Potter? Someone punched me. Besides, you said we didn’t have to talk about that,” Draco snapped, suddenly defensive.

Harry sighed.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just…I’m worried about you, Draco.”

“There’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Stop lying to me.  _Please_. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but I want to help you. So if you’d just be honest with me and-”

“Stop! Just stop! This was a mistake. I knew it would end poorly. Stop intruding into my personal business, Potter. I don’t see why you’re so interested. Do you want to leak it to the Prophet, is that it? You want to make me even more of an outcast and a laughing stock than I already am?”

“ _What_?” Harry had no idea where all of this was coming from. Things were fine just five minutes ago. And now all of the sudden Draco is back to thinking that Harry had some kind of ulterior motive. “Draco, I would never do-”

“No! Just stop talking, Potter! I don’t want to hear it. I’m done here.”

Draco threw some money onto the table, got up, and left. Harry tried to hurry to follow him, but once he stepped outside, Draco was already gone, indicating that he had disapparated.

Harry sighed and walked back into the coffee shop. He picked up Draco’s money and left his own on the table.

As Harry walked home, he tried thinking of what had gone wrong. He knew he shouldn’t have brought up what had happened to Draco, but Draco had given him a pretty good idea of what his life was now like the previous night when they were walking back from the club, when Draco decided to open up a little. Harry just wanted to hear him say it sober and well aware that he was opening up to Harry.

He just felt so awful. The fact that Draco felt like he had to have random hookups in order to feel moderately liked, it broke Harry’s heart. If Draco would just give him the chance, Harry would treat him so well, love him so much.

Harry stopped dead when he realized what he was thinking.

 _Love him? Since when do I love Draco Malfoy? It’s only been a few days_!

But the thought was now ingrained into his mind. He needed to show Draco what true love and affection was like. In order to do that, though, he had to get Draco to speak to him again.

Despite how much he just wanted to go over to Draco’s flat right away, Harry opted to give the blond some space. He simply went home, put Draco’s money in an envelope, and scribbled down a quick note.

 _The coffee was on me_.

He then put the letter in the envelope, tied it to his owl’s leg, and sent it to Draco.

* * *

Draco slammed his door behind him when he arrived home.

_How dare Potter think he has a right to know about my life, to know about me. We’re not even friends. We just ran into each other a few days ago, and he now thinks that he’s my therapist. Well, he can go right to hell because I don’t need him._

Draco really didn’t know why he had gotten so upset. He didn’t know why he was  _trying_  to think of reasons as to why Potter was being so nice to him. He just couldn’t accept that somebody might actually like him, care about it, want to help him.

 _I don’t need help_.

But he did. God, he needed help. He had no idea how long he had been hoping someone would finally come along and help him, even just ask if he was okay. And now that someone has…he wouldn’t let them.

At this point, Draco was more angry with himself than at Potter. He told himself that he was better off before Potter ran into him that night, but he knew it wasn’t true. He knew in just these few days, he felt way happier than he had in years. And that was what bothered him so much.

Potter already had such a big impact on him. He didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like if he truly let him in. He had to keep up his facade of the coldhearted Malfoy. Potter was quickly breaking that down, and he couldn’t let anyone know how much he was hurting inside. He refused to appear weak, so cutting off the only person that seemed to care about him was his only option, even if it was already killing him inside.

After Draco cooled down a bit, he went into his kitchen to get something to drink. 

 _To drown my bloody sorrows_.

As he grabbed a bottle of whiskey, an owl flew into his house. Without even looking at the letter, he knew it would be from Potter. He gave the owl a treat before sending it back off.

Draco opened the envelope to find his money and a note.

He rolled his eyes when he read it. Of course Potter would want to pay. Chivalrous Gryffindor and all.

He simply threw the money and note aside and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

 _I don’t need Potter_.

Draco slammed down the alcohol, revelling in the burn he felt in his throat. He quickly poured himself some more.

 _Potter doesn’t_  really  _care about me_.

Another glass, gone.

That was how Draco spent the rest of his day. 

A drink for every thought of Potter.

Even as he continued to do it, he knew that it would not end well.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Draco had no idea how much he had to drink. All he knew was that the bottle of whiskey was now empty and he was making quick progress on a new one. He basked in his drunkenness. He no longer felt depressed or like a worthless waste of space. Alcohol was the only thing that made him feel happy.

Well, Potter was starting to do that, too.

At the thought of Potter, Draco took another drink, but then he wondered why. 

_Why am I drinking right now? Why was I mad at Potter? He’s been so nice to be, why would I be angry?_

Draco put the bottle down and got up, taking a few tries to successfully do so, and headed towards his door. He grabbed a jacket before leaving because, really, he may be drunk but he isn’t  _stupid_.

He began walking down the street, trying hard to remember what Potter said the name of the apartment building he lives in is.

He couldn’t remember is until he saw the name as he walked past and immediately recognized it. Somehow, he was able to remember what number apartment Potter was in.

He knocked on the door, and when Harry answered, Draco gave him a broad smile.

“Potter!” He exclaimed and wrapped his arms around Harry in a tight hug.

“Um, hi Draco,” Harry said awkwardly. “What are you doing here?”

Draco pulled out of Harry’s grasp to look at him.

“I wanted to apologize. I was very rude to you earlier.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. Draco reeked of alcohol.

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

Draco’s smile fell from his face, and Harry quickly corrected himself.

“No, no! I didn’t mean like that. I just meant that you are in no state to have been wandering around at night. But I’m glad you’re here, come in.”

Draco walked in and looked around.

“My flat is nicer,” Draco teased.

Harry chuckled.

“Yes, well, not all of us are filthy rich.”

Draco stuck his tongue out at Harry, who thought this whole situation was incredibly adorable.

Draco made himself at home, taking a seat on Potter’s couch.

When he caught Harry watching him, he simply smiled and waved.

“Drunk you is the exact opposite of sober you.”

“I know! Drunk me is happy. Sober me is…well, you know.”

“No, I don’t know. Tell me.”

Draco sighed and suddenly didn’t feel very happy anymore. He looked down at his hands to avoid looking at Harry.

Harry cautiously made his way over to Draco and sat down next to him.

“Hey, you can tell me, Draco.”

“I’m just so…sad. And lonely.” 

Draco hid his face in his hands, wanting to disappear from Harry’s view.

Harry shook his head.

“You’re not alone. You’ve got me now.”

“You’re just…you’re just pretending.”

Harry sighed and got off the couch to kneel in front of Draco.

“I’m not pretending, Draco.” Harry moved Draco’s hands away from his face.

“Everyone that comes comes into my life hurts me,” he whispered, voice cracking at the end.

Harry, still holding Draco’s hands, tightened his grip.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you. Let me in. Let me help you.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” Draco asked.

“Of course.”

Draco pulled Harry back up onto the couch and scooted as close to him as possible. Harry could smell the alcohol coming off his breath, but he didn’t mind. He liked being this close to Draco. It felt…right.

“I have sex with people to feel loved for just a few hours. It has yet to actually make me feel that way though. I normally end up feeling worse.”

This wasn’t really a secret. Harry already knew from the times Draco had dropped little hints about it before. But now he was telling him willingly, and it still broke his heart into a million pieces.

Harry couldn’t help it. He pulled Draco into his lap so he could give him a hug. Much to Harry’s surprise, Draco didn’t complain. He immediately melted into Harry.

“Stop doing that. Please. You are so much better than that. Than those people. I can show you real love.” Harry whispered the last part almost inaudibly, but Draco still heard, and he really like the idea of it.

The two of them spent the rest of the night telling each other secrets about their lives. Draco continued to let Harry hold him and even cuddled up to him.

Around one in the morning, Draco let out a long yawn.

“Harry? Would it be okay if I stayed here overnight?” He slurred in a drunken and sleepy voice.

Harry smiled.

“I would love it if you did.”

Harry stood up with Draco in his arms. He gently set him into his bed and then crawled in next to him.

“Goodnight, Draco,” he muttered and kissed Draco’s forehead.

Draco was already asleep, though. 

Harry wasn’t sure whether or not he hoped Draco would remember tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

Draco woke up next to a warm body the next morning. Without really thinking about it, he cuddled up to said body, basking in the comfort it gave him. He didn’t need to look to know whose it was. No one else would have let Draco sleep in their bed. He hated that he ended up here, he really did. And he knew he had to leave. But he decided he would just allow himself to stay for a few more minutes and enjoy it before sneaking out.

“I’ve got to stop drinking so much,” he muttered to himself.

Draco smiled when Harry let out a quiet snore. He couldn’t deny that it was cute.

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco unconsciously, and Draco let it happen because it gave him an excuse to stay longer. He certainly couldn’t get up now, he would wake Potter up.

He laid there for at least another twenty minutes, listening to Harry sleep.

Except Harry wasn’t asleep. He woke up just a few minutes after Draco. He just didn’t want to ruin the moment.

He removed his arms from around Draco to see if he would leave, but he didn’t. At least not right away.

Draco contemplated what to do for a few minutes before deciding it would be best if he left. Potter wouldn’t want him there when he woke up.

Despite his pounding headache, Draco sat up, and was relieved to see that he still had his clothes on.

“At least I didn’t shag him.”

Harry fought to hold in the chuckle.

When Draco got out of the bed, Harry spoke up.

“You don’t have to leave, Draco.”

Draco whipped around to look at him, cheeks now bright red.

“I-I…” but he didn’t know what to say. There was nothing that would make this situation less awkward for him.

“Stay...please.”

“I shouldn’t.”

“You should.”

Draco shook his head, staring at Harry with wide, grey eyes.

“Why not? You clearly want to.”

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times. 

“Let yourself enjoy something, Draco.”

At that, Draco’s face transformed into a hard glare, and Harry sighed. He thought he might have been getting through to Draco, but that look told him that he had lost him.

“No one said I was enjoying it, Potter.”

Harry quirked an eyebrow.

“Then why didn’t you leave as soon as you woke up?”

“Because...because I have manners! I didn’t want to wake you.”

Harry snorted.

“Please. You and I both know you wouldn’t have given a shit about waking me up if you really wanted to go. Stop lying to yourself.”

“You have no idea what I would or would not do. You don’t know me, Potter. So stop acting like you do.”

Draco turned to leave, but halted when Harry said something unexpected.

“I know you have meaningless hookups so you’ll feel better about yourself. And I know it doesn’t work.”

“Don’t,” Draco began, but Harry kept going.

“I know you so desperately want to find someone who treats you right, but you don’t think you deserve it.”

Draco couldn’t believe he had said all this last night. But even more, he couldn’t believe Potter was using it against him. Harry, too, realized that maybe it wasn’t right of him to hold those things over Draco, so he switched to some less serious things Draco had told him the previous night.

“I know that when you were little, you wanted to grow up and work with dragons because that’s what your name means. And that your mother called you her little dragon.”

Draco blushed at this.

“That’s just stupid, I was five years-”

But Harry cut him off to keep going.

“I know that your favorite color red, but you pretend that it’s green. I know that your favorite sweet is peppermint toads. I know that your favorite class was actually herbology even though everyone assumed it was potions. I know that-”

“Okay, okay! Enough.”

“Don’t tell me that I don’t know you, Draco. Because I do. What’s really funny, though, is that of all the stuff you told me last night, I already knew over half of it.”

Draco just looked down at his feet. He didn’t know what to say. 

Harry sighed and got out of his bed to walk over to Draco. He tilted Draco’s chin up so green eyes met grey.

“Every time something good happens to you, you run away because you’re scared that it’s not real. Not everyone is out to get you.  _I’m_  not out to get you. Allow yourself to enjoy something, Draco. I know you don’t think you deserve it, but you do.”

“S-So you wouldn’t mind if I stayed for a bit?” Draco asked quietly.

Harry smiled at him.

“You can stay as long as you like. I’ll even make you breakfast.”

Draco’s face lit up at this, and Harry chuckled.

“Can I have-”

“Waffles and bacon. I know that’s your favorite.”

Draco blushed but nodded, causing Harry to grin.

“Come on.”

Harry grabbed Draco’s hand and pulled him out of his bedroom and into the kitchen.

Draco took a seat on one of the stools at the counter and watched as Harry pulled out all the ingredients and quickly whipped Draco’s favorite meal together.

“Waffles and bacon with a glass of orange juice for the cute blond,” Harry said with a smirk as he slid the plate across the counter.

Draco’s eyes widened at the blunt statement, and he would have blushed if his cheeks weren’t still red from their previous conversation.

Harry laughed and made himself a plate of his own before going to sit next to Draco.

Draco turned to Harry with an astonished look after he took his first bite.

“These waffles are amazing!”

“Is that a compliment?” Harry teased.

Draco rolled his eyes and turned back to his food.

He ended up eating three waffles and several pieces of bacon, much to Harry’s surprise.

“Really, Potter, what do you put in those? They’re delicious.”

Harry shrugged.

“I guess I’m just an extraordinary cook.”

“Please tell me your recipe, I need it!”

Harry shook his head.

“I guess you’ll just have to come over every time you want them.”

Draco huffed.

“You can expect me here a lot, then,” he muttered under his breath, but Harry still heard.

“I wouldn’t mind that at all. You’re always welcome here.”

Draco wanted to bring up the fact that Harry had told him that he could show him real love, that somehow he remembered that out of everything that happened the previous night, but he decided that now wasn’t the time. Things between them were good at the moment, and he didn’t want to make them awkward.

Draco allowed himself to smile when Harry turned his back to begin doing the dishes because maybe Harry was right. Maybe letting him in wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe he  _could_  show Draco real love.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the wait! I've been experiencing a bit of writer's block, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Just a side-note that I have a lot more of my work, for Drarry and several other pairings, on my tumblr - @dracolucivs

Draco stayed at Harry’s until the late afternoon. Even then, he didn’t want to go.

“Draco, you can stay the night again if you want.”

Draco gave Harry a small smile and shook his head.

“I can’t. I have work.”

Harry rolled his eyes.

“Oh, at that awful bar where they treat you like shit?”

“Yeah…” Draco muttered quietly.

Harry sighed.

“I can help you find a better job.”

For whatever reason, this statement made Draco incredibly angry. Potter acted like he was completely incapable of doing anything without his help.

_Who does he think he is? God, he’s so full of himself. I can’t believe I thought for even a moment that we could maybe…_

Draco didn’t even want to finish the thought.

He shot Harry a dirty look, which Harry responded to with one of confusion.

“Do you think I’m that pathetic that I can’t manage to do anything on my own? You may think you’re all high and mighty and that you can solve everyone’s problems, but I don’t need your help, Potter.”

“Draco, I-”

Draco shook his head and walked to the door.

“I’ve gotta go.”

And with that, he walked out of Harry’s flat to head to his god awful job. Harry was right, they did treat him like shit there, and he would absolutely love a better job. But the fact that Harry thought that Draco needed him to create a better life for himself...well that was just absurd...and true. As Draco walked to the pub, he felt more and more guilty about what he had said to Harry, who had been nothing but nice to him as of late and simply wanted to help.

He sighed when he saw his boss and quickly made a decision.

“I quit,” he stated.

His boss raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled mockingly.

“You quit? And who else do you think would ever hire you?”

Draco opened and closed his mouth for a moment, unsure of how to respond. His boss was right, after all, but he couldn’t take back what he said now. He simply shook his head and walked out.

* * *

 

Harry wasn’t sure what he had done wrong. He simply offered to help Draco out, get him a job somewhere that treated him with respect. But then again, it seemed to set Draco off any time Harry tried to help him. He hoped he hadn’t messed things up permanently. He was really starting to enjoy his time spent with Draco. 

_Who would’ve thought?_

Harry didn’t know what to do, though. He could apologize, but he wasn’t sorry. He wasn’t sorry for wanting Draco to be happier and to be treated better. He wasn’t sorry for trying to help Draco. He wasn’t sorry about his feelings for Draco. He regretted nothing.

Harry sighed and just decided to give Draco some space. Just as he was about to start dinner, there was a knock on the door.

To say he was surprised to see Draco standing on the other side of his door would be an understatement.

Draco was blushing and wouldn’t meet Harry’s eyes, and Harry fought to keep his laugh in. Clearly Draco was fighting with his pride.

“I-I’m sorry for lashing out, I just…” Draco trailed off, unsure of how to finish, but Harry didn’t mind.

He grinned at Draco and opened the door wider so he could enter.

“I’m just starting dinner, if you’d like to join me.”

“I’m not sure if I-”

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed Draco’s hand to pull him in before closing the door behind him.

Draco’s heart sped up slightly at the contact, but he tried to stay calm. 

Harry let his hand linger on Draco’s a little longer than necessary before pulling it away.

“I hope you like spaghetti.”

Draco smiled and nodded his head.

It was about 45 minutes until all the food was ready, and the two of them sat down at Harry’s table to eat.

Draco, once again, was shocked at how good the food was.

“I have to admit, Potter, you’re an amazing cook.”

Harry chuckled.

“Yeah, well, I had to learn pretty young.”

Draco furrowed his brow.

“Why?”

“Um, my aunt and uncle...they made me do everything.” Harry really didn’t want to talk about this, especially when he saw the look of concern and sympathy in Draco’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter, really. It was ages ago. Anyway, what happened to having to work?”

It  _did_  matter to Draco, though. And it was clear that it still bothered Harry. Draco wasn’t one to push topics that others were uncomfortable talking about, though.

“I quit.”

Harry almost spit out the wine he was drinking.

“Seriously? Right there? On the spot?”

Draco nodded and took a bite of his garlic bread.

“You were right. They treat me like shit there, and I don’t really want that anymore.”

Harry smiled. Draco was finally understanding that he didn’t deserve to be treated so poorly. Maybe he had been getting through to him.

“Don’t get mad at me for saying this, but I really can try to help you find a job somewhere else. We could go look tomorrow after I get out of work.”

Draco blushed and bowed his head.

“You don’t have to through so much trouble for me, you know.”

Harry shook his head.

“It’s no trouble at all. I enjoy spending time with you.”

Draco almost gasped at this, and he looked up to meet Harry’s eyes that seemed to stare directly into his soul. 

_He has to be kidding._

But he wasn’t. Harry was smiling kindly at Draco. There was no indication that Harry was being anything but genuine.

“There’s actually an opening at the Ministry in Magical Games and Sports. If you’re interested, I can talk to the head of the department to skip you ahead of everyone else for an interview.”

Draco was taken aback at Harry’s kindness.

“I can’t ask you to do that for me.”

“You’re not asking. I’m telling you I’m going to. If you’re interested in the job, that is.”

“Yeah, I’m...I’m definitely interested.”

Somehow, Harry had a feeling that Draco was saying he was interested in more than just the job.

Draco felt butterflies in his stomach when Harry grinned at him. He still couldn’t believe that he and Harry were getting along. He couldn’t believe that he was actually developing feelings for the bloody Savior. 

But he wasn’t the Savior to Draco. He wasn’t any of those titles people liked to use. 

He was just Harry. The first person to treat Draco kindly, to show him respect, and to show him that he mattered. And as much as Draco fought with himself, telling himself that he shouldn’t have feelings for Harry, he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. He knew that Harry was special to him, and all he could do was hope that Harry felt the same way about him.


End file.
